Sliding door lock



Oct. 7, 1969 ss 3,471,189

SLIDING DOOR LOCK Filed D80. 14. 1967 JULIEA M. NESS ATTORNEYS United States Patent U.S. Cl. 292-266 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A lock formed of elongated endwise slidable sections, preferably telescoping sections, is connected to the back edge of a sliding door and engages the wall of a door or window opening, and a spring pressed locking pin slides through the outer of the telescoping members and through a selected opening in the inner telescoping member to lock the door or window against movement toward an open position from a fully closed or partially open position. The locking device is adapted to be swung upwardly to inoperative position and is provided, preferably as the head of the locking pin, with a permanent magnet engageable with the edge of the door or window to which the device is connected to thus hold the locking device in vertical inoperative position.

Background of the invention The invention relates to sliding windows, or to sliding doors frequently used to open from the inside of a home, for example, to a patio outside the house. Doors of this type usually are double doors wherein each door is provided with a metal frame and a glass pane, one door being fixed and the other being slidable between closed and open positions.

There have been many burglaries committed by entering via a patio door or sliding window, and the present invention is particularly intended to block a sliding door against movement away from closed position, when desired.

Summary of the invention The invention comprises a pair of telescoping members, the outer of which may be of square cross-section with a closed end abutting against the inner face of a wall opening. The inner telescoping member may be made of angle section, the two flanges of which correspond to the height and depth of the interior of the outer telescoping member to slide lengthwise therein. The inner member is provided with a series of selectively engageable openings, and the end of the inner telescoping member remote from the closed end of the outer telescoping member is hinged to the back vertical frame member of a sliding door. A downwardly spring-pressed locking pin is carried by the outer telescoping member and is adapted to be lifted to release the lower end of the pin from a selected opening in the lower flange of the inner telescoping member whereupon the door is free to slide away from open position. The pin may be released for engagement in an opening in the inner telescoping member, for example, in the opening furthest remote from the sliding window or door to positively lock the latter in closed position.

Since the telescoping members are arranged end-to-end and are parallel to the direction of sliding movement of the window, an effort to open the window applies compressive forces against the locking device endwise thereof. These forces are readily resisted, thus making it extremely difficult to force the door open. The locking pin is provided with a button the head of which is preferably a permanent magnet, although a separate permanent magnet may be attached to the outer telescoping memher. The end of the device remote from the window to WhlCh it is connected may be swung upwardly to engage the permanent magnet with the back edge of the sliding door. Assuming the frame of such door to be iron or a ferrous alloy, the permanent magnet will engage therewith and support the locking device in vertical inoperative position. If the frame of the window is formed of a non-ferrous metal, a small iron disk may be attached to the frame for engagement with the permanent magnet. It is preferred that the head of the locking pin be a permanent magnet so that such head serves the dual purpose of holding the device in inoperative position and serving as a hand-piece to retract the locking pin when it is desired to slide the window.

Brief description of the drawing FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary view of a window structure embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the lower portion of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a section on line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged side elevation of the interengaging ends of the two telescoping members of the locking device; and

FIGURE 5 is a section on line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

Referring to FIGURE 1, numeral 10 designates a wall having an opening 12 extending to the floor 13, if the opening 12 is a door opening. The line 13 may indicate a sill if the opening 12 is for a window. Opposite sides of the opening 12 provide surfaces 14 between which is arranged a pair of windows 15 and 16, the former of which may be stationary and the latter of which may be slidably mounted on the floor or sill by means of guide tracks (not shown) provided for this purpose.

The window 15 is provided with a frame 18 and pane 19, while the window 16 is similarly provided with a frame 20 and pane 21. The right-hand frame member 20 in FIGURE 1 is shown as having a handle 22, by means of which the window or door may be moved from the closed position in FIGURE 1 horizontally to the left to an open position. It will be assumed that the window frames are of iron or a ferrous alloy, although they obviously could be made of aluminum, magnesium or any other suitable material.

The device forming the subject matter of the present invention is indicated as a whole by the numeral 26 and comprises telescoping members 27 and 28, the former of which may be of hollow square section, as shown in FIGURE 5. The left-hand end of the member 27 may be closed by a foot 29 (FIGURE 3) adapted to abut against the window opening surface 14. The member 28 is preferably of angle section (FIGURE 5) having a bottom flange 32 and a vertical flange 33 lying within the member 27 and respectively engaging the bottom wall and one side wall thereof.

The end of the member 28 adjacent the window or door 16 is pivoted as at 35 to a bracket 36 fixed to the adjacent side frame member 20, as shown in FIGURE 3. The bottom flange 32 of the member 28 is provided with a plurality of aligned openings 38 selectively engageable by a locking pin 40. This pin extends through openings 41 and 42 in the top and bottom walls of the member 27 and is biased downwardly by a compression spring 43. The locking pin 40 is enlarged as at 44 above the member 27 and is provided with an operating head 45 at its upper end. This head is preferably formed of a permanent magnet to engage the left-hand frame member 20, as shown in FIGURE 1, when the device is swung to a vertical inoperative position as shown in broken lines in FIGURE 1.

When the door or window is to be locked in fully closed position, the parts will occupy the positions shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 with the pin 40 engaging the opening 38 nearest the left-hand end of the member 28. Under such conditions, the door or window will be rigidly locked and any forces generated through an effort to force the window open will be transmitted endwise to the locking device 26 which is capable of absorbing great endwise compressive thrusts. If it is desired to lock the window in any other position, for example, if some ventilation is desired without fully opening the window or door, the locking pin may be engaged in any one of the openings 38 to lock the window or door. It is merely necessary to lift the head 45 until the lower end of the locking pin clears the bottom flange 32 of the member 28, whereupon the window or door is free to slide.

If it is desired to render the door or window free to be opened or closed without interference by the locking device, the latter may be swung upwardly to the broken line position shown in FIGURE 1. The use of a permanent magnet engaging the iron or ferrous-containing frame 20 provides a simple means for holding the device in inoperative position. The permanent magnet may be separate from the locking pin, but it is preferred that the head 45 be made of a permanent magnet so that this single element will serve the dual function of a holding device and an operating head for the locking pin.

The device is very simple in construction and operation and economical to manufacture. By forming the member 28 of an angle iron as shown in FIGURE 5, this member will be effectively guided for sliding movement relative to the member 26. With the angle iron formation of the member 28, only one series of locking openings 38 is required and it is necessary to lift the head 45 only a relatively short distance when the window is to be opened or closed.

Where the expression window is used in the claims, it is to be understood that this word is intended to cover a door or any other slidable structure to which the present invention is applicable. It will also be appreciated that the improved door or window lock may be pivotally connected to the frame edge 14 such that the telescopic member pivots to a storage position in vertical abuttment with the said edge rather than with said sliding window.

I claim:

1. A locking device for a sliding window mounted in an opening defined at one side by an abutting surface and defined at the other side by the corresponding vertical edge of the window, comprising a pair of telescoping members, one of which engages said one side of said opening and the other of which is connected to the other side of said opening for the slidabe window, said other member having a plurality of longitudinally aligned openings, a slidable locking pin extending through said one telescoping member and through a selected opening in said other telescoping member and biased to an operative position in engagement with one of such openings wherein said window has a frame at least a portion of which is of ferrous-containing metal, said other telescoping member being hinged to said window to swing upwardly to a vertical inoperative position, and said locking device having a permanent magnet engageable with said ferrous-containing metal to hold said locking device in vertical inoperative position.

2. A locking device according to claim 1 wherein said one telescoping member is of hollow square section, said other telescoping member being formed of angle section with one flange slidable over the bottom of said one telescoping member and the other flange sliding over a vertical wall of said one telescoping member, the top and bottom walls of said one telescoping member having vertically aligned openings through which said locking pin is slidable, said longitudinally aligned openings in said other 4 telescoping member being formed in the bottom flange thereof.

3. A locking device according to claim 2 provided with a spring within said one telescoping member in engagement with the top wall thereof and with said locking pin to bias the latter downwardly to operative position.

4. A locking device according to claim 2 wherein said window is provided with a frame and a bracket carried by said frame and pivotally connected to the adjacent end of said other telescoping member to provide for swinging movement of said locking device upwardly to a vertical inoperative position.

5. A locking device for a sliding window mounted in an opening defined at one side by an abutting surface and defined at the other side by the corresponding vertical edge of the window, comprising a pair of telescoping members, one of which engages said one side of said opening and the other of which is connected to the other side of said opening for the slidable window, said other member having a plurality of longitudinally aligned openings, a slidable locking pin extending through said one telescoping member and through a selected opening in said other telescoping member and biased to an operative position in engagement with one of such openings wherein said window has a frame at least a portion of which is of ferrous-containing metal, said other telescoping member being hinged to said window to swing upwardly to a vertical inoperative position, and said locking pin having an operating head formed of a permanent magnet engageable with said ferrous-containing metal to hold said locking device in vertical inoperative position.

6. A locking device for a sliding window mounted in an opening defined at one side by an abutting surface, comprising first and second members connected for endwise sliding movement relative to each other, said one member engageable with said abutting surface, said second member being connected to the back end of the slidable window, said slidable window having a frame at least a portion of said back end of which is a ferrouscontaining metal, means for fixing said members in selected endwise positions relative to each other, and a permanent magnet carried by one of said members and engageable with said ferrous-containing metal when said members are swung upwardly in a vertical inoperative position.

7. A locking device according to claim 6, wherein said means comprises a slidable locking pin carried by said one member, said other member having a plurality of longitudinally aligned openings selectively engageable by said locking pin, said locking pin having an operating head constituting said permanent magnet.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,601,524 9/ 1926 Gibbons 292-262 2,222,078 11/1940 =Kroeger 248-354 X 2,724,609 11/ 1955 Donnelly 292-266 2,912,268 11/1959 Markovich 292-262 2,955,239 10/1960 Rouse 325-285 3,328,920 7/1967 Cohen 49-449 3,282,618 11/1966 Adickes 292-258 FOREIGN PATENTS 688,283 3/ 1953 Great Britain.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner EDWARD J. MCCARTHY, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 49-449; 292-2515 

